Time Heals No Wounds Ch. 01

"You look great," I reassure Charli.

"Nah, you're just sayin' that so my feel bads don't get hurt," she smiles, punching me lightly on the arm.

Yeah, I don't think so.

"Eh...judging by how many guys are staring at you, I'm pretty sure youdolook damn good."

"How do you know they aren't staring atyou?" she asks deviously.

"Okay, then webothlook great," I retort.

"Oooh, pool tables!"

Typical Dragon. So easily distracted. Charli skips through the crowded room toward the pool tables that sit in a shadowy alcove.

"Let's play! Get us some beers and I'll rack 'em!"

Charli has always been playfully competitive. I nod in reply and head toward the bar. A tall, blond bartender has her back to me, and she's shuffling something around inside a cabinet. I clear my throat.

She turns around and asks, "What'll it be?"

She's younger, probably in her late twenties or early thirties, and pretty. Something about her seems so familiar, but I can't place where I've seen her before.

"Two Coronas please."

"ID?"

I fish out my wallet and show my driver's license to her. I grin at her as she examines it closely. If you only knew how old I really am...

"Okay," she says before getting my order.

"That's four dollars."

I toss a five to her and say, "Keep the change. Say, does Butch still own the place?"

"Naw. You're about ten years too late."

"Oh. That's too bad," I tell her.

I was hoping to say "hi" to the jovial bear of a man, even if he didn't remember me.

"How wouldyouknow my dad?" she asks, obviously implying I would have been too young to come in here ten or more years ago.

Oh damn. That's where I've seen her before! She was only about nine or ten years old back then.

"Kylie?" I ask.

"Do I know you?" she asks, her eyes scrutinizing me closely.

"No," I catch myself, backpedaling mentally with a shake of my head.

I realize I'm painting myself into a corner and would never be able to explain my way out. I doubt Kylie would be able to recognize me again after twenty years, but it'd be best to deflect that line of thought altogether.

"My dad knew your dad back in the day. He went to college here and told me if I ever went into Sullivan's to say hello to Butch and Kylie for him."

"Oh," Kylie nods, accepting my hastily crafted lie. "Well, dad's been gone ten years now. Passed on."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I tell her sincerely.

Kylie shrugs, saying, "It happens."

I remember Butch and Kylie together back then. He was the consummate doting father, and she the adoring daughter. Maybe things changed later in her life, but I doubt it. Butch was a truly good guy, a real family man. I find it funny that after ten years Kylie got over her loss, but in the same span of time I haven't gotten over mine. I suppose in some ways humans are more resilient than we Fravashi.

"What's your dad's name?" Kylie asks.

"Paul Redman," I lie, making up the first name on the spot.

"Sorry," Kylie shakes her head lightly. "I don't remember him, but I would've been a little kid back then."

I shrug, saying, "That's okay. Itwasa long time ago."

I almost say "it was good to see you again", but I catch myself in time.

"Thanks for the Coronas," I tell Kylie instead.

"Sure thing, kid."

I almost laugh at the irony of someone more than a decade younger than me calling me "kid". Rather, I walk over to where Charli waits impatiently with two pool sticks in her hand. The pool balls are all arranged in a neat triangle, and she trades me a stick for her beer.

Charli takes a long pull before telling me, "You break."

I nod and sip my beer before setting it down on a nearby stool. I line up my stick with the cue ball, smack it, and watch as all the pool balls go careening around the table. One of them sinks into a pocket.

"I got solids," I say rather pointlessly.

Charli can be ditzy, absent-minded, painfully frivolous, and on rare occasion a little bitchy, but one thing sheisn'tis unobservant. I line up another shot and miss.

"Didn't you tell me once you weregoodat this?" she chuckles lightly before swigging her beer again.

"Yeah. I said I was good back during myfirstcollege run," I defend myself. "I haven't played in probably fifteen years."

"You just stick to that excuse when you get spanked by a woman," she grins evilly.

Charli lines up her first shot and sinks a stripe with a solid authority. She's already walking around the table, the cue ball rolling after her like an obedient puppy following it's master. Charli stops and is lining up her pool stick for the next shot before the cue ball even ceases moving. It rolls to a halt in front of the stick's tip.

Show off.

"You Dragons are such cheaters," I heckle her in a good-natured way.

"I amnot..."

Smack!

Plunk...

"...a cheater," she finishes, moving to her next shot.

"It's not like I use my telekinesis to sink the balls or anything," I tease. "How is using your gifts not cheating?"

Charli frowns, saying, "It's not something I can turn on and off. It's just a part of me."

I can sense she's getting a touch butt-hurt at my good-natured ribbing, but she seems to be taking me serious for some reason. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings.

"I'm sorry, Charli. I was only teasing, really. I fully expect you to kick my ass at something like this."

"Apology..."

Smack!

Plunk...plunk...plunk!

"...accepted."

"Dafuq wasthat?!?" I stare in disbelief.

"Natural talent," Charli giggles.

Charli ends up winning the game, of course. She did give me a chance, however, purposely tanking a shot to let me have another turn. I manage to carefully sink three more balls, but I choke in the end. Then Charli mercilessly wipes the table clean.

"Play another?" she asks with a smile that tells me I better say "yes".

"Sure," I nod. " 'Nuther beer?"

"You know it!"

" 'Kay."

I'm headed back with our second round, Charli waiting impatiently once more. I hand over her next beer, and she chugs a good portion of it right off the bat again. That girl loves her beer.

"Break," she tells me.

I nod. Normally it's customary for the winner of the last game to break, but I know if I don't then I might not even get a turn to play. I'm lining up my shot when I see the front door swing open and someone enters, grabbing my attention.

Oh my god...it's her!

My green eyes widen in surprise as I stand back up. Phaedra doesn't seem to notice me standing here in the shadows surrounding the pool tables. The object of my attention is wearing an emerald green dress that offsets the icy-blue of her eyes.

Two others are with her. One is a young woman, about Phaedra's age, with a white and red emo haircut that hangs over half her face. The other is a tall, handsome, and dark-haired man wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He looks to be a few years younger than the women.

Is that Phaedra's boyfriend or the other girl's? The raven-haired beauty touches the man's arm lightly, leading me to believe he's her boyfriend. She says something, he says something, then she laughs. My heart falls. Was my hope and longing for this woman all for nothing?

"That dark-haired girl. That's her, isn't it?" Charli asks, leaning closer. "The one you met today?"

Like I said...observant.

"Yeah," I say before swallowing hard.

"Then go talk to her."

Easy for her to say. I'm paralyzed with the fear of fucking it up. For one, Phaedra already appears to have a boyfriend. Secondly, I'm not even sure what I'd say. The thought of talking to Phaedra this very second makes my throat suddenly go dry, and I swallow roughly again.

I begin to doubt I'm ready for this.

"Why are you being a chicken-shit all of a sudden, Max?" Charli asks, giving me a light push on the shoulder. "Go talk to her."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Charli lean over to look at me closely, but I'm still staring at Phaedra. I'm unable to tear my eyes from her ebon hair and stirring, ice-blue eyes.

"Is she...? She is! She's one of your Anima Uxoris, isn't she?!?" Charli exclaims in a low whisper.

I think sheisan Anima Uxoris to me. Seeing Phaedra again, I can feel that inescapable pull toward her. Sheisone of my soul mates. I'm sure of it now.

"You lucky bastard," Charli whispers with a twinge of jealousy in her voice. "In a hundred years I've yet to meetoneof mine, and you've met two already."

Yeah, and I lost the first one. No, that isn't right. Let's be truthful...I got the first one killed.Do I deserve another?

"Go talk to her," Charli prods again, in a sense both figurative and literal this time as she pokes me in the ribs with a finger.

I barely jump.

"Max?"

I don't respond to Charli, only staring at Phaedra and pondering whether or not I have the guts. Do I have the courage to do this? Is it worth risking the unsurpassed torment of losing a love as powerful as this one could be? I'm able to say from experience that such a loss is like having your heart torn out. There's only one thing you want when something like that is ripped from you...you want to die.

My cowardice wins out, and I decide it isn't worth it. Not even Charli can save me if I lose another Animus Uxoris. Nor will it be fair to Phaedra. Being part of a Fravashi's life can be blissfully wonderful, but it can also be harrowing and deadly. Without even knowing her I can tell she's a very special woman. She deserves better than I can offer.

I'm a hair away from telling Charli that it's time for us to go, but fate digs it's meddlesome fingers into my life again.

Hewalks in. A sort of dangerous edge hovers around the twenty-something man, drawing my attention. He seems so god damned agitated, and he's making a bee-line for Phaedra and the two others with her. I don't like the way he has one hand in the pocket of his jacket.

He pulls a gun and points it toward Phaedra's group, the shiny silver metal of the small revolver glinting in the bright light. In an instant my mind reaches out, and I can sense his intentions. He's going to pull the trigger and shoot the emo-haired girl in the chest. Then he's going to kill Phaedra before turning the gun on himself.

You can't pull the trigger

My fingers brush his mind, the man's finger suddenly unable to move. He seems surprised at his own inability to do something he was so set on only a moment ago.

I'm already walking quickly toward the scene.

"I FUCKING LOVED YOU KELLY!" the gun-wielding man bellows furiously.

People turn to look at the unexpected anger in the man's voice. A girl in the crowd screams "gun". Some freeze in fear at the sight of the weapon while others make haste for the exit. A nearby woman screams loudly, drawing even more attention.

"Jake?!?" the emo-haired girl, Kelly, squeaks in sudden fear as she cowers against the bar. "What are you doing with that gun?!?"

"Get out of here you jackass!" Phaedra screams at the man, stepping a pace toward him and pointing a finger at the exit. "If you loved her so much you wouldn't have been hitting her!"

Damn that girl's got some big, brass clankers polished to the Nth degree. Most people piss themselves if a gun is pointed anywhere near them. Kind of like Phaedra's boyfriend is doing right now. Not literally pissing himself, but heisstanding there in shock, unable to move or say anything.

"YOU BITCH!" he screams back, turning his raw ire on Phaedra now. "ALWAYS STICKING YOUR FUCKING NOSE IN ME AND KELLY'S BUSINESS! I SHOULD FUCKING KILL YOU!"

He points the gun at her, his renewed and insane rage almost breaking my mental leash. I tighten my grip, like an iron vice cranking down on his mind with my will.

You will not kill her

"I'LL FUCKING SHOOT BOTH YOU FUCKING BITCHES!" Jake screams impotently, spittle flying from his mouth.

He would do it, too, were my fingers not inside his mind preventing him from becoming a murderer. I step in front of the gun.

"WHO THE FUCK AREYOU?" he yells, sticking the gun in my face. "MOVE OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

"I don't know what's going on here," I begin, "but you haven't done anything you can't walk away from. No one's been hurt yet. Please, think about what you're doing."

"FUUUUUUCK!" Jake bellows, clutching the side of his head with one hand.

Dammit! He's about to snap and go full, bat-shit crazy. I have to do something fast, or even my mental control won't be able to stop him.

...and if he shoots me...

Things will getreallyugly if that happens. Charli will break this man in half, and that isn't a metaphor. We'll have a giant mess to explain to the Inquisitors at that point. I need to get this under control.

"Jake, right?" I ask, speaking quickly. "I'm Max. I know right now this seems like the only way, but it isn't. You don'thaveto do this."

I dig down below Jake's turbulent surface thoughts as I speak, going deeper to look for something he cares about. So much selfishness and greed...it's hard to find anything...but there it is! His little sister.

I lean in closer and whisper low so only Jake can hear, "Think about your family. Think about yoursister. What will this do to her? You're her hero, Jake. What will she think if you do this? Put the gun down and just...walk away for yoursister'ssake."

Good. He's thinking about his sister now. It's calming his roiling anger and making his murderous resolve falter.

Lower the gun

He lowers the gun, offering little resistance as I reassert my control.

"Give me the gun, Jake."

Give me the gun

Jake hesitates briefly but gives up struggling against me. He hands me the gun.

"What do I do now?" he asks, tears suddenly forming in his eyes. "I can't believe I was gonna..."

He suddenly turns and vomits all over the floor.

* * * * * *

The police arrive. After they begin to get the story they haul off Jake in cuffs to a waiting cruiser, it's red and blues flashing through the front window. The would be murderer is compliant, looking ashamed and defeated as he's taken away. I remark to myself how I can count Jake's life as one of the ones I saved tonight. Perhaps he'll use this experience to change his life for the better.

It's another twenty or thirty minutes as officers take people's statements. I notice all the while Phaedra is throwing me covert, cryptic glances. When the cops ask for my account of events I leave out the part where I mentally manipulated Jake into handing over the gun.

Things seem to be wrapping themselves up, the police slowly filtering out as they finish up with their rounds of questioning. Phaedra, her boyfriend, and a very shaken Kelly look as if they're getting ready to leave. A policewoman is still talking with Kelly, however. Probably getting some last details or double-checking something, no doubt.

The dark-haired man Phaedra walked into Sullivan's with turns to her and speaks.

"Hey, sis," her boyfriend brother begins, "Let's take cuz home, get her outta here."

He's Phaedra's brother? And Kelly is their cousin? They're both her family, not my romantic rivals. It seems destiny is pushing me toward the dark-haired girl once more.

"Go ahead without me, okay Daniel," Phaedra nods. "You stay with Kelly tonight you hear me? She doesn't need to be alone."

"You're not coming with?" he asks.

Phaedra's brother, Daniel, follows his sister's gaze to where she's looking at me, and comprehension dawns on his face.

"You don't take your eyes off her tonight, Dan. She needs a friend right now, and you know her a lot better than I do."

"I know," he responds. "You gonna catch a cab to your place then?"

"Yeah," Phaedra nods. "Something like that."

"Okay," he nods, giving his sister a quick hug.

Phaedra gives her cousin, Kelly, a hug as well and speaks a few soft words to her, but I can't make out what she says. Daniel leads the shaken, emo-haired girl from Sullivan's and off into the night. Phaedra approaches Charli and I. Charli smiles at her in a silent greeting before turning to me.

"Uh, I feel bad for the place losing business," Charli says to me with a lopsided smile, "but I'm still gonna go see if I can get the bartender to cough up a few free beers. Being as I'm the sister of tonight's hero and all."

Ah, thank you Charli. You are so awesome. Not only is she giving Phaedra and I some space, but now Phaedra will believe Charli is my sister. We both watch Charli walk away toward the bar.

Phaedra turns back to me with that cryptic look again before saying, "That wasreallystupid of you."

I wasn't quite expectingthat. I should say something suave, or pithy, or witty...orsomething, but my mind feels like a quivering bowl of Jello again as I stand this close to her.

I shrug, saying simply, "I guess."

It's not likeIwas in any danger. Jake could have emptied that gun into me, and I would've survived. It would hurt like hell and piss me off something fierce, but it takes more than six bullets from a pea-shooter to kill a Fravashi.

"Stupid boy...thank you," she smiles, looking to the ground with a shyness I didn't expect from her.

The dozen or so responses that flash through my head all sound egotistical or self-serving, so I settle on a sincere, "You're welcome."

Phaedra looks back up at me, a silence falling over the air between us. It doesn't feel awkward, though. It's more like the quite calm of lying in cool grass on a summer day with the warmth of the sun bathing me in it's glowing rays. Those ice-blue eyes of hers hold me in thrall once more, stirring up an ache of longing in my soul.

"Hey," I finally force myself to say, "can I buy you a cup of coffee? Or something to eat?"

"Yeah," Phaedra nods with the hint of a smile dawning on her lips. "That would be nice."

* * * * * *

The two of us are sitting in a booth at one of those greasy-spoon, all-night diners. It's clean and nice, however, and in a decent part of the city. We both have a cup of coffee in front of us, and we're waiting for our food. Phaedra is tapping one foot nervously, the only sign she shows as the shock of what happened at Sullivan's hits her. I should say something to take her mind from it.

"So what's your major?" I ask.

"My...major?" she replies, tilting her head to the side and looking momentarily confused. "Oh, no no. I'm not a college student. I'm a teacher."

"Really?"

I'm a little stunned someone so young could be a college professor. Is that even possible?

Phaedra must see the surprise written on my face, so she explains, "No, I'm not a professor at the college. I'm an elementary school teacher."

"Oh, I see," I nod.

That makes a lot more sense. She looks just barely old enough to have gotten a teaching degree. I'm curious as to why she was at the college earlier today, but I think of a better question to ask.

A flirty smile crosses my lips, and I ask meaningfully, "So you're used tostupid boyshaving a crush on you?"

Phaedra's foot tapping stops, and she looks up from her coffee to stare at me for a moment.

"I, uh," she stammers as she catches the nuance of my implication. "Yeah, I guess so."

My heart melts as I see her give me an honest smile for the first time. God I want so badly to reach out and brush my fingers gently against her cheek.

"What about you?" Phaedra asks. "What are you going to school for?"

"Psychology."

"No kidding?" she asks, her look turning serious and thoughtful.

"Eh, well, I'm just a freshman, but yeah. That's what I'm planning to get into after I slog through all the general courses."

"Kind of old to be a freshman, aren't you?" she jokes, smiling again before sipping her coffee.